Sunday, January 13, 2013

Painting of the Day: The Window Seat, 1861

This intimate study of a woman lost in her sewing by George Frederick Watts (1817-1904) was inspired by Seventeenth Century Dutch genre paintings. This beautiful and emotionally-charged canvas belonged to Charles Rickards, an important early patron of the artist.

The painting is signed, “G F W 1861.” It was bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides, the famous art collector, to the V&A in 1900. Curiously, the work is not mentioned in the inventory of his private collection. From this, we can deduce that after it passed from Charles Rickards, it could have belonged to Constantine’s father Alexander C. Ionides.

“The Window Seat” is considered one of George Frederick Watts’ most exceptional works.

About Me

I am an author, historian, Punch & Judy man, and artist who shares his Victorian home in Texas with an intelligent and charming West Highland White Terrier called Bertie Wooster and Bertie's giant, orange tabby cat, Miss Oscar. When not writing about antiques, art, puppets and history, I write about spooky, scary stuff.